Yes, they take time to make but they also make an occasion special. And guests love ’em. This canapé was inspired by some I made at The George Town Club many years ago. It has what it needs: sweet crème fraîche, sour capers and raw spinach, salty salmon with shrimp, bitter dill and bread.
here’s how:
Yield: About 24 canapé
See abbreviations, if needed
24 uncooked shrimp, shelled
24 squares or rounds of bread sliced thin
24 fresh cucumber rounds, sliced thin
24 spinach leaves, washed and dried
1/2lb smoked salmon
bunch fresh dill sprigs, destemmed
5 oz crème fraîche
48 capers
1. Pour a bottle of beer in a pot, BTB, drop in the shrimp,
turn off the heat, cover for 1 minute, drain and set aside to cool
2. Cut 24 thin slices of bread (cocktail bread, rye, wheat, etc.). Square (1.5″) or round (40mm) each and set aside
3. Decoratively peel a cucumber and cut thin slices and set aside
4. Select nice spinach leaves and trim to bread size
5. Cut smoked salmon to bread size and set aside
6. Finely chop a bunch of dill fronds (about 1/4 cup chopped
7. Stir the dill into the crème fraîche and return to fridge
8. Cut whole shrimp in two and then slice each half lengthwise
9. To assemble:
- spread crème fraîche onto bread
- top with cucumber and then top cucumber with crème fraîche
- top with salmon slice
- dip both sides of bottom half of shrimp in crème fraîche and place on top of salmon
- top shrimp half with spinach leaf
- dip both sides of top half of shrimp with crème fraîche and close over spinach
- garnish with a couple of capers (or caviar if plush)
10. Hold in fridge and serve cool
